Beets Get Deep; Catch Leeks and Radicchio at Their Peak

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Whoopie pies!Photo: Zoe Singer
Fashion writers may be buzzing about the spacebots and froth of spring, as this trend feature attests, but the look at the Greenmarket is all earmuffs and fingerless gloves. This season’s curvaceous pears, potatoes, and cabbages continue to turnheads.

What to Look ForBull’s blood beets are a particularly soulful variety of the root. Braise the red-veined, crimson-black leaves with a little stock to mellow their mineral tang while retaining their slight smokiness. The beets themselves have sweet fucshia flesh with a deep, spicy earthiness. Base a borscht around them, or roast them for warm salads (recipe) ($1.50 per bunch at Paffenroth, available Wednesday andSaturday).

Thick, multilayered leek stalks are mild and sweet right now, with a delicate onion flavor. Trim away their tough tops and outer leaves and cook them in moist heat to render them toothsome and tender (recipe) ($1 each at Stokes Farm, available Wednesday, Friday, andSaturday).

At most markets, radicchio is an overpriced red orb sold for its color, but at the Greenmarket, it exists in several varieties as a rather sumptuous vegetable, all currently at their peak. The elongated, green-veined leaves of mahogany Treviso radicchio have a sweet, romainelike stalk. The bitter leaves take on a complex, nutty flavor when frizzled in hot oil. Try these handsome heads sautéed with garlic then stirred into squash risotto ($6 per pound at Northshire Farms, availableSaturday).

Blink and You’ll Miss ItMispoona, a tatsoi-mizuna cross, is likely to disappear for the year in the next week or two. The emerald leaves have the succulence of Asian greens, while the crisp white stems have a pungency reminiscent of broccoli rabe. Stir-fry for a crunchy side dish, or cook slowly until the stems are meltingly soft ($2 per bunch at Keith’s Farm, available Wednesday andSaturday).